Madonna's Tour On Track 'To End Up In The Top 10 Tours Of All Time'

Posted 4/20/12 12:05 pm EST by in Madonna, Tour Dates, Video


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There's been a bit of shizz slinging of late regarding Madonna's new album, her world tour and whether we should be calling either a success.

After earning positive reviews and debuting strongly at #1, MDNA, experienced a sharp sales decline in its second week and a majority of her US tour dates have yet to sell out. Those two facts taken together sent a few music writers down the rabbit hole, with some going so far as to say Live Nation, which signed Madonna to a $120 million 360 deal with in 2007, was concerned over both her album and concert ticket sales given the size and length (10 years) of their commitment to the Queen of Pop.

>> Madonna's Manager Confirms That 'Turn Up The Radio' Will Be Next MDNA Single

Yesterday, Madonna's manager Guy Oseary hit Twitter to address the rumors and now Arthur Fogel, Chairman of Live Nation Global Touring, talked to Billboard, saying that not only is business brisk for Madonna's tour but it is actually "on track to end up in the top 10 tours of all time."

First, what many of the reports fail to mention is that Madonna's last tour, 2008-09's "Sticky & Sweet" jaunt, was actually her first venture under her Live Nation deal, and it's enormous success ($408 million in grosses, making it the third highest grossing tour ever and the most successful by a solo artist) most certainly offset a great deal of M's sign-on cost. Merchandising is also a major factor in Live Nation's revenue stream and it controls all of that for Madonna's tours, creating another significant source of revenue for the concert promotion giant.

Perhaps most importantly with regard to MDNA's sales, Madonna's 360 deal is, at its core, touring and merchandise-driven, so talk that the company will take a loss on the album if it doesn't sell 15 million copies (as has been reported) is a bit of a reach. (Quick, name the last album by any artist to sell 15 million copies…)

Talking to Billboard, Fogel said, "To say this tour is not performing is so off base I don't even know what to say. When this tour is said and done, combined with 'Sticky and Sweet,' you're talking $750 million in gross ticket sales. That sounds pretty impressive to me."

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Day Of Silence Aims To End LGBT Bullying In Schools

Posted 4/20/12 11:16 am EST by in Activism, Gay Rights


Today is the Day of Silence, a student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take a vow of silence to encourage administrators and their classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in their schools.

A 2009 survey by GLSEN found that nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and more than 30 percent have missed at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. Two of the top three reasons students said their peers were bullied because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, and the point of Day of Silence is to use the power of silence to make anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools.

Of course, the recent cyber bullying trial of former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi, who was found guilty of hate crimes and invasion of privacy on March 16 for broadcasting a consensual sexual encounter between his roommate Tyler Clementi and another man leading to Clementi's suicide, sparked a national debate about LGBT bullying and how to most effective combat it. The Day of Silence is a way for LGBT advocates to take a stand without saying a word.

So if you are able, take the vow today and for more information on the Day of Silence, visit dayofsilence.org.

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Best Dad Ever Cries Because His Daughter Got to Meet One Direction

Posted 4/20/12 9:43 am EST by in boy bands, Music


Awe!

While most dads probably only know One Direction as that noise they pound on their daughter's bedroom doors demanding they turn down, one man in Australia totally gets what it's like to be obsessed with a boy band and set out to help make his teenage daughter's dream come true by meeting OneD.

Perhaps the best part of it all though is that he got a little weepy when everything worked out for his little girl. (We know!)

Anthony Lee and his daughter Catie tried everything, according to the Huffington Post, to meet One Direction in person – "every competition, you name it, we've done it," Lee told Australia's "Today." But alas, nothing seemed to be working out.

So imagine how happy they were when they were one of just a handful of people who caught the entire band leaving a photo shoot. Lee explained that he teared up because Catie was so happy. "Just seeing her happy because she tried so hard," he said. "She tried so hard for everything."

(And because their story has won so much attention, "Today" gave them tickets to One Direction's next concert … which caused a whole other crying display.)

Check out the happiness below.



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Lady Gaga And Britney Spears Tweet Love For Each Other

Posted 4/19/12 8:48 am EST by in Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Tweet Beat, Video


We love it when celebs use Twitter for good instead of evil, and last night, two of the biggest pop stars around hit the site with a whole lot of love for each other.

Lady Gaga has never made her Britney Spears fandom a secret. During her MTV First (after the jump), she confessed that she used to call in to vote for Brit Brit on "TRL," saying that on the days she couldn't make it to Time Square to join in the fun she "would lay in bed and I would be speed dialing for Britney to have the #1 video." And last year when she presented Spears with her Video Vanguard VMA the two had a near-miss kiss that got everyone talking.

So it's no surprise then that Gaga, who leaves for South Korea today to prep for the April 27 kick off of her "Born This Way Ball" in Seoul, hit Twitter last night with a packing list and high up on it was her Britney thermos (below).

Lady Gaga, Twitter

After seeing Gaga's tweet, Britney responded with a bit of curiosity ("Wonder what @ladygaga keeps in the thermos?") and what seems like a promise to see Mother Monster on the road ("Can't wait to see you on tour. MISS YOU!").

While their stand may sometimes battle it out online, it's fantastic to see that these two seem to have a lot of love and respect for each other. Check out Lady Gaga talking about Britney and her "TRL" fan days below! Read More...

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Stars Hit Coachella's Neon Carnival For T-Mobile Event

Posted 4/18/12 12:28 pm EST by in Coachella


At Coachella last weekend, T-Mobile unveiled their latest gizmo to make your music listening better during the AX Armani Exchange and T-Mobile Neon Carnival. "Glee" star Mark Salling, Emma Roberts and Camilla Belle were among the celebs who hit the party and were among the first people to try out the just-unveiled HTC One S with Beats By Dre sound technology.

All guests at the bash enjoyed carnival games and thrill rides, including bumper cars, an enormous Ferris wheel and a giant slide, in between hitting up the central dance floor, which stayed packed well into the morning hours thanks to sounds spun by DJ Jesse Marco and DJ Kayper as well as Google Play Magnified artist Ryan Farish and electronica artist John Tejada.

Tons of other celebs were among the thousands of festival-goers who flocked to the neon-lit pop up carnival, including Usher, Gerard Butler, Paris Hilton, Kellan Lutz, Kings of Leon's Jared Followill, "Hunger Games" star Josh Hutcherson and supermodel Chanel Iman.

Coachella continues this weekend in Indio , California, for a second weekend of red-hot shows. Hopefully, hologram Tupac will be as on-point this weekend as he was last!

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Kraftwerk Close Museum Of Modern Art Retrospective With Career-Spanning Set

Posted 4/18/12 11:52 am EST by in Music


By Christopher Smith

NEW YORK – Groundbreaking German greats Kraftwerk closed out their epic, eight-night "Kraftwerk-Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" at the Museum of Modern Art Tuesday night (April 17) in New York City. The sprawling and ambitious series focused on a different album from the electronica pioneers each night (alongside a healthy dose of other staples), with the final show focusing on 2003's "Tour de France Soundtracks."

Tuesday's crowd was ready to make the most of the band's rare appearance and was surprisingly energetic throughout the "Tour de France" portion of the set culminating with the tremendous and sprawling La Forme.

But that was just the beginning, as Kraftwerk launched into a series of staple tunes from throughout their career – this was a retrospective, after all. Autobahn, Radioactivity and Trans-Euope Express had the crowd entranced and were just a few songs from a set that closely mirrored that of the band's 2005 live album, Minimum Maximun.

Much of the imagery was also carried over from the band's 2004 tour, updated in spectacular looking 3D for the special occasion.

The band closed the night and ended the retrospective with their anthemic Musique Non-Stop and while the quartet may have rocked metallic-looking suits recalling the false visions of the future that came so decidedly from the '70s and '80s, the sound is anything but dated. The sonic future they envisioned and foreshadowed and dreamed of turned out to be not so far off.

Check out two more images from the show below! Read More...

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Johnny Depp And Natalie Portman Slammed For Using Incorrect Sign Language In Paul McCartney's 'My Valentine' Video

Posted 4/18/12 10:56 am EST by in Movies, Music, Video


Well, at least we can assume that everyone involved had the best intentions.

Paul McCartney directed the video for his latest single and based on pure aesthetics and originality, it's a lovely clip. Shot in black and white, "My Valentine" features Oscar winner Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp, star of one of our most anticipated summer movies, "Dark Shadows," emoting heavily while using sign language to perform the song's lyrics.

So that's cool and interesting and Depp and Portman really do have two of the most compelling faces in the world. But as Spinner reports, they maybe didn't have their signing down quite as well as they should have when the cameras were rolling.

Deaf music fans, including the British Deaf Association, have pointed out that at one point in the clip Depp signs the word "enemy" while attempting "valentine," and later both he and Portman make a mildly embarrassing error, signing the word "tampon" instead of the word "appear."

A spokesperson for the Association said, "The sign for tampon does seem to come up from both Johnny and Natalie, which causes some confusion, especially as American and British sign languages are different."

To be fair, sign is a very subtle-but-specific language and even the slightest changes in motion and/or facial expression can dramatically alter the meaning of something. The organization laments that McCartney did not use actual deaf performers for the clip, but is effusive with praise, regardless of the minor problems, for McCartney, Depp and Portman for "highlighting the use of sign language" in what the org sees as "more a poetic expression" than a sign lesson.

Check the video out after the jump! Read More...

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Is This Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way Ball' Stage? (Pic)

Posted 4/18/12 9:27 am EST by in Lady Gaga, Tour Dates


In February, Lady Gaga tweeted a sketch of the design for her "Born this Way Ball" stage, and now a pic of the what is reported to be the still-under-construction stage has made its way online.

The Gothic castle certainly looks like the design Gaga tweeted. The "Bad Romance" singer's massive, 110-plus tour kicks off in just a few days at Seoul, South Korea's Olympic Stadium with a controversial concert that the country's Media Rating Board banned minors under the age of 18 from attending.

>> Lady Gaga Unfazed By South Korean Concert Age Restrictions

Gaga is deep in final rehearsals for the show and last night sent out a few fun tweets about having to call a tour meeting over the show's special effects. "You know there's something wrong with you when you call a tour meeting only about 'fog.' It's serious people," she tweeted. "Worse comes to worse ill just fog myself in the corner during Bad Romance."

We wish the pop diva lots of luck hauling that massive stage all around the world. Her tour is set to hit five continents (Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and North America) and given the size of that castle, we imagine it will be quite an undertaking. But as always with Mother Monster, putting on the best and biggest show she can for her fans far outweighs the logistical difficulties of traveling around the world with a 15th Century castle in the back of your van.

Good luck, Lady G! See you when you return to NYC!

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Afrojack To Embark On 'Jacked' Summer Tour Across North America

Posted 4/17/12 5:04 pm EST by in dance, Tour Dates


By Akshay Bhansali

America, a whole lot more "bleeps" and "chainsaws" are coming your way!

After a monumental showing at Ultra Music Festival, Dutch electronic dance music star Afrojack, who headlines Coachella (again!) this weekend, will soon embark on one of the most ambitious undertakings of his career. He’ll be presenting his widely successful "Jacked" party at over 30 dates on a headlining tour of North America beginning in May.

Along for the ride will be much of his Afro-fam: buddies Quintino, Bobby Burns, R3hab and Shermonology (at select dates).

With smash radio hits in "Give Me Everything," "Look at Me Now" and his solo effort "Take Over Control," Afrojack (born Nick van de Wall) is easily one of dance music's most sought after performers, and he'll soon be bringing the ruckus to major US cities, including Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlantic City, Boston and Miami, and making major festivals appearances at the Electric Daisy Carnival stops in New York and Las Vegas and Seattle’s Paradiso Festival, among others, through early July.

Tickets will be available for purchase on Friday, April 20 at 10 a.m. local time in all U.S. markets at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets for select headlining dates starting on April 18 at 10 a.m. through Citi’s Private Pass Program.

For more information on Afrojack, visit www.afrojack.com. A complete list of tour dates (confirmed thus far) are below. Read More...

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Check Out Skrillex And Kaskade's New Clip For 'Lick It' (Video)

Posted 4/17/12 2:47 pm EST by in dance, Music, Video


Skrillex Kaskade

We have a soft spot for EDM in the MTV Newsroom (see below), so we were super excited that two of our favorites, Grammy-winning phenom Skrillex and Kaskade, have teamed up to produce a killer video for their collab track "Lick It" from Kaskade's red hot (but definitely way cool) album Fire & Ice.

The clip comes courtesy of our good pals at MTV Buzzworthy, who premiered the clip earlier today.

Related:
>> Skrillex And Girlfriend Ellie Goulding Hit The Studio With Steve Angello And Sebastian Ingrosso
>> Check Out The Exclusive Kings of Ace Pool Party At Miami Music Week (Video)
>> Avicii Plots First-Ever North American Arena Tour Headlined By An Electronic Artist

In the video, a freaked out rave refugee covering her blood-squirting ears searches for a little assistance out in a rural frozen wasteland. Through some tricky backwards photography, we see our heroine to find her salvation.

Want to know what it is? Check the video out after the jump! Read More...

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